Capturing and processing multi-media information using mobile communication devices

ABSTRACT

Methods and devices are provided for generating and publishing multi-media information associated with actions performed on a mobile communication device. A publishing application monitors actions performed on the mobile communication device and enables selection of at least one of the actions. Content associated with selected actions may be stored and data associated with at least one of the selected actions and the content associated with at least one selected action may be extracted. The multi-media information may be displayed on a graphical user interface in a pre-selected format, such as a chronologically arranged list. Users may preview and modify the multi-media information before publication through a pre-selected communication service. The multi-media information may be published by selecting an icon, including an image identifying the pre-selected communication service. The mobile communication device generates content that users may efficiently modify and publish to a desired communication service.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.13/270,090, filed on Oct. 10, 2011, now issued as U.S. Pat. No.8,818,339, the application is expressly incorporated by referenceherein.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The disclosure relates generally to mobile communication devices, andmore particularly, to capturing and processing multi-media informationusing mobile communication devices.

BACKGROUND

Conventional communication devices allow users to capture and sharecontent. Sharing the content via the communication devices generallyinvolves performing a plurality of steps, including evaluating thecontent, selecting a service that enables content sharing, selecting anaudience to share the content, formatting the content for the selectedsharing service, annotating the content and uploading the contentthrough a selected exchange medium. Performing these multiple steps onmobile communication devices to share content is often challenging,especially while multitasking. What is needed is a mobile communicationdevice that facilitates processing of multi-media information.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a communication system for mobile communication devicesaccording to one example;

FIG. 2 is a mobile communication device according to one example;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the mobile communication device illustratedin FIG. 2 operating in a communication environment according to oneexample;

FIG. 4 is a visual representation of a data entry list according to oneexample; and

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a process for generating andpublishing multi-media information associated with actions performed ona mobile communication device according to one example.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The disclosure provides a software application that records all types ofactions performed on the mobile communication devices. The actions maybe associated with gathering and manipulating content, including digitalimages, music files, video images, voice note files, media files, emailmessages, text messages, telephone communication data, voice mail files,telephone call logs, mobile applications, web sites, contact entries,and calendar entries, or the like. The mobile applications may includeTV applications, finance applications, weather applications, memo padapplications, task applications, game applications, map applications,and email applications, or the like.

According to one example, the actions performed on the mobilecommunication device include user-performed actions and device-performedactions. The user-performed actions may include actions performed whileusers interact directly or indirectly with the mobile communicationdevice. For example, users may directly perform actions on the mobilecommunication device through a graphical user interface (GUI), anavigation tool, a keyboard and a voice-command receiving device, or thelike. Users may indirectly perform actions on the mobile communicationdevice by, for example, programming remote devices to push data to themobile communication device, among performing other indirect actions.The user-performed actions may be recorded by detecting and storing dataassociated with user actions performed on the mobile communicationdevice. The user-performed actions may include manipulating thenavigation tool, the keyboard and the GUI to select an application,install an application, launch the application, capture content throughthe application and initiate communications to share the capturedcontent with third parties, among performing other user-performedactions. Initiating communications to share the captured content mayinclude coupling devices through proprietary connections, such as aBLACKBERRY® bridge or the like.

The device-performed actions may include actions performed directly orindirectly by the mobile communication device running softwareapplications. For example, the mobile communication device may directlyperform actions such as embedding data into captured content, includinguser-captured content and device-captured content. The embedded data mayinclude location data, including global positioning satellite (GPS)data, geographic information system (GIS) data, and cellular towerlocation data, or the like. The embedded data may include other data,including time of capture data, weather data, content description data,and application-type data, or the like. The mobile communication devicemay indirectly perform actions, such as populating an icon with anindicator, such as a logo that identifies the preselected sharingcommunication service.

A publishing application, for example, may generate content describingthe user-performed actions and the device-performed actions in a formatfor publishing with communication services, such as social networkingservices and micro-blogging services, among other communicationservices. According to one embodiment of the disclosure, textual contentmay be generated describing the user-performed actions and thedevice-performed actions occurring on the mobile communication device.For example, a user may access a music player on the mobilecommunication device and may select to listen to The X Album by Xartist. In this case, a publishing application provided on the mobilecommunication device may automatically compose textual messagesdescribing the user-performed actions and the device-performed actions.

The publishing application may detect actions performed on the mobilecommunication device and may generate a graphical representation of theactions for display on the GUI. The graphical representation may includeproviding a list of actions, among other graphical representations. Thegraphical representations of the actions may be published over theInternet using pre-selected communication services. According to oneexample, the pre-selected communication services may be associated withgenerated or captured content, based on the content type. Thepre-selected communication services may be presented to users forselection through icons that are positioned adjacent to the generated orcaptured content. The icons may include corresponding logos thatidentify the communication services selected for sharing the generatedor captured content that is associated with the user-performed actionsand the device-performed actions. For example, icon logos may include aTWITTER™ or a FACEBOOK™ logo. Users may select a desired icon in orderto share the associated content by publishing the content through thepre-selected communication services. Alternatively, users may access amenu of alternative communication services to publish the selectedcontent. From the menu of alternative communication services, users mayselect desired communication services that are configured to publish thecaptured or generated content. Furthermore, if the mobile communicationdevice does not support or recognize the captured content, thepublishing application may direct users to online resources that enablethe mobile communication device to process the captured content. Forexample, the publishing application may direct users to applicationresources, such as an application store, which allow users to downloadapplications supporting the captured content.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of an operating environment for acommunication system 100 that may include a number of mobilecommunication devices 103. The communication system 100 may support themobile communication devices 103 in any of several different ways. Themobile communication devices 103 may be coupled to a wireless network101, such as one or more of a Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN) 102 anda Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) 104, among other suitable networkarrangements. In some examples, the mobile communication devices 103 maybe configured to communicate over both the WWAN 102 and WLAN 104, and toroam between these networks. In some examples, the wireless network 101may comprise multiple WWANs 102 and WLANs 104, among otherconfigurations.

The WWAN 102 may be implemented as any suitable wireless access networktechnology. By way of example, but not limitation, the WWAN 102 may beimplemented as a wireless network that includes a number of transceiverbase stations 108 (one of which is shown in FIG. 1), where each of thebase stations 108 provide wireless Radio Frequency (RF) coverage to acorresponding area or cell. The WWAN 102 typically is operated by amobile network service provider that provides subscription packages tousers of the mobile communication devices 103. In some examples, theWWAN 102 may conform to one or more of the following wireless networktypes: Mobitex Radio Network; DataTAC; GSM (Global System for MobileCommunication); GPRS (General Packet Radio System); TDMA (Time DivisionMultiple Access); CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access); CDPD (CellularDigital Packet Data); iDEN (integrated Digital Enhanced Network); Ev-DO(Evolution-Data Optimized); CDMA2000; EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSMEvolution); UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication Systems); HSPDA(High-Speed Downlink Packet Access); IEEE 802.16e (also referred to asWorldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access or “WiMAX”), or variousother networks. While WWAN 102 is described herein as a “Wide-Area”network, that term is intended also to incorporate wireless MetropolitanArea Networks (WMAN) or other similar technologies for providingcoordinated service wirelessly over an area larger than that covered bytypical WLANs.

The WWAN 102 may communicate with a wireless network gateway 110 thatcouples the mobile communication devices 103 to transport facilities112. The transport facilities 112 couple the mobile communicationdevices 103 to a wireless connector system 120. The transport facilities112 may include one or more private networks or lines, the Internet, avirtual private network, or any other suitable network, among othertransport facilities. The wireless connector system 120 may be operated,for example, by an organization or enterprise such as a corporation,university, or governmental department, among other organizations orenterprises, which allow access to a network 124, such as an internal orenterprise network (e.g., an intranet) and its resources. Alternatively,the wireless connector system 120 may be operated by a mobile networkprovider. In some examples, the network 124 may be realized using theInternet rather than, or in addition to, an internal or enterprisenetwork.

The wireless network gateway 110 provides an interface between thewireless connector system 120 and the WWAN 102. The wireless networkgateway 110 facilitates communication between the mobile communicationdevices 103 and other devices (not shown) that may be connected,directly or indirectly, to the WWAN 102. Accordingly, communicationssent via the mobile communication devices 103 are transported via theWWAN 102, the wireless network gateway 110 and the transport facilities112 to the wireless connector system 120. Communications sent from thewireless connector system 120 are received by the wireless networkgateway 110 and transported via the WWAN 102 to the mobile communicationdevices 103.

According to one example, the WLAN 104 includes a wireless network thatconforms to IEEE 802.11x standards (sometimes referred to as Wi-Fi™)such as, for example, the IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b and/or 802.11g standard.One of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that othercommunication protocols may be used for the WLAN 104, such as, IEEE802.11n, IEEE 802.16e (also referred to as Worldwide Interoperabilityfor Microwave Access or “WiMAX”), or IEEE 802.20 (also referred to asMobile Wireless Broadband Access), among other communication protocols.The WLAN 104 includes one or more wireless RF Access Points (AP) 114(one of which is shown in FIG. 1) that collectively provide a WLANcoverage area.

The WLAN 104 may be a user's personal network, an enterprise network, ora hotspot offered by an Internet service provider (ISP), a mobilenetwork provider, or a property owner in a public or semi-public area,for example. The access points 114 may be connected to an access point(AP) interface 116 that may connect to the wireless connector system 120directly or indirectly. A direct connection may be provided when theaccess point 114 is part of an enterprise WLAN 104 in which the wirelessconnector system 120 resides. An indirect connection may be provided viathe transport facilities 112, as indicated by the dashed signal line inFIG. 1, if the access point 114 is a personal Wi-Fi network or Wi-Fihotspot. In this case, a mechanism, such as a virtual private network(VPN), may be used for securely connecting to the wireless connectorsystem 120. The AP interface 116 may provide translation and routingservices between the access points 114 and the wireless connector system120 to facilitate communication, directly or indirectly, with thewireless connector system 120.

The wireless connector system 120 may be implemented as one or moreservers, and is typically located behind a firewall 113. The wirelessconnector system 120 manages communications, including email, HypertextTransfer Protocol (HTTP), and HTTP Secure (HTTPS) communications to andfrom a set of managed mobile communication devices 103. The wirelessconnector system 120 also provides administrative control and managementcapabilities over users and mobile communication devices 103 that mayconnect to the wireless connector system 120.

The wireless connector system 120 allows the mobile communicationdevices 103 to access the network 124 and connected resources andservices such as a messaging server 132, for example, a MicrosoftExchange Server®, IBM Lotus Domino®, or Novell GroupWise™ email server;a content server 134 for providing content, such as Internet content orcontent from an organization's internal servers; application servers 136for implementing server-based applications, such as instant messaging(IM) applications to mobile communication devices 103, and intranet fileservices; among other connected resources and services.

The wireless connector system 120 typically provides a secure exchangeof data (e.g., email messages, personal information manager (PIM) data,and IM data) with the mobile communication devices 103. In someexamples, communications between the wireless connector system 120 andthe mobile communication devices 103 may be encrypted. In some examples,communications are encrypted using a symmetric encryption keyimplemented using Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) or Triple DataEncryption Standard (Triple DES) encryption. Private encryption keys aregenerated in a secure, two-way authenticated environment and are usedfor both encryption and decryption of data. In some examples, theprivate encryption key is stored only in the user's mailbox on themessaging server 132 and on the mobile communication device 103, and cantypically be regenerated by the user on mobile communication devices103. Data sent to the mobile communication devices 103 is encrypted bythe wireless connector system 120 using the private encryption keyretrieved from the user's mailbox. The encrypted data, when received onthe mobile communication devices 103, is decrypted using the privateencryption key stored in memory. Similarly, data sent to the wirelessconnector system 120 from the mobile communication devices 103 isencrypted using the private encryption key stored in the memory of themobile communication device 103. The encrypted data, when received onthe wireless connector system 120, is decrypted using the privateencryption key retrieved from the user's mailbox.

The wireless network gateway 110 is adapted to send data packetsreceived from the mobile communication device 103 over the WWAN 102 tothe wireless connector system 120. The wireless connector system 120then sends the data packets to the appropriate connection point such asa messaging server 132 or a content server 134 or an application server136, or a combination of these. Conversely, the wireless connectorsystem 120 may send data packets received, for example, from themessaging server 132 or the content servers 134 or the applicationservers 136 or any combination of these, to the wireless network gateway110 that then transmits the data packets to the destination mobilecommunication device 103. The AP interfaces 116 of the WLAN 104 providesimilar sending functions between the mobile communication device 103,the wireless connector system 120 and network connection point, such asthe messaging server 132, the content server 134, the application server136, or any combination of these.

The network 124 may comprise a private local area network (LAN),metropolitan area network (MAN), wide area network (WAN), the publicInternet or combinations thereof. The network 124 may include virtualnetworks constructed using any of these networks, alone or incombination. Alternatively, the mobile communication device 103 mayconnect to the wireless connector system 120 using a computer 117, suchas a desktop or a notebook computer, via the network 124. A link 106 maybe provided between the mobile communication device 103 and the computer117 for exchanging information between the mobile communication device103 and a computer 117 connected to the wireless connector system 120.The link 106 may include one or both of a physical interface or ashort-range wireless communication interface.

The physical interface may comprise one or a combination of an Ethernetconnection, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connection, a Firewire™ (alsoknown as an IEEE 1394 interface) connection, or other serial dataconnections, via respective ports or interfaces of the mobilecommunication device 103 and computer 117. The short-range wirelesscommunication interface may be a personal area network (PAN) interface.A personal area network is a wireless point-to-point connectionimplemented without physical cables to connect the two end points. Theshort-range wireless communication interface may include one or acombination of an infrared (IR) connection, such as an Infrared DataAssociation (IrDA) connection, a short-range radio frequency (RF)connection, such as one specified by IEEE 802.15.1 or the BLUETOOTHspecial interest group, or IEEE 802.15.3a, also referred to asUltraWideband (UWB), or other PAN connection.

It will be appreciated that the above-described communication system 100is provided for illustration purposes only. The above-describedcommunication system 100 may be implemented using any of a multitude ofnetwork configurations for use with the mobile communication devices103. Suitable variations of the communication system 100 will be readilyappreciated by a person of ordinary skill in the art and are intended tofall within the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example mobile communication device 200 having adisplay 222 which presents a user interface (not shown), positionedabove a user input device, such as a keyboard 232 or other suitabledevice for accommodating textual input to the mobile communicationdevice 200. In accordance with an aspect of the disclosure, the mobilecommunication device 200 may comprise a front face 270 having anavigation row 280. As shown, the mobile communication device 200 mayinclude a “uni-body” structure, also known to those skilled in the artas a “candy-bar” design.

The mobile communication device 200 may include an optional auxiliaryinput device 227 that acts as a cursor navigation tool. The auxiliaryinput device 227 may be exteriorly located upon the front face 270 ofthe mobile communication device 200. The location of auxiliary inputdevice 227 on the front face 270 allows the cursor navigation tool to bethumb-actuable, e.g., like the keys of the keyboard 232. Some examplesprovide the auxiliary input device 227 in the form of an opticalnavigation tool that may be utilized to instruct two-dimensional screencursor movement in substantially any direction. The auxiliary inputdevice 227 may act as an actuator when the cursor navigation tool isdepressed like a button. Other examples may provide the auxiliary inputdevice 227 in the form of a track pad, a touchpad, a trackball, apointing stick, a joystick, or a graphics tablet, among other auxiliaryinput devices. The auxiliary input device 227 may be placed above thekeyboard 232 and below the user interface 222. In this location, theauxiliary input device 227 may avoid interference during keyboarding anddoes not block the operator's view of the user interface or displayscreen 222 during use.

The mobile communication device 200 may be configured to send andreceive multi-media content, including image files, music files, videoimages, voice note files, media files, text messages, email messages,text messages, telephone communication information, voice mail files,telephone call logs, address book entries, calendar entries, task listentries, word processing documents, mobile application content andbrowser content, among other multi-media content. According to oneexample, the mobile communication device 200 includes a body 271 thatmay be configured to be held in one hand during operation of the mobilecommunication device 200. The user interface is displayed on the frontface 270 of the body 271 to provide information during device operation.The mobile communication device 200 also may be configured to send andreceive voice communications, such as mobile telephone calls. The mobilecommunication device 200 may include a camera (not shown) to enablecapture of digital content, such as photographs.

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram 300 of the mobile communicationdevice 103 in accordance with an example. The mobile communicationdevice 103 includes a microprocessor 338 that controls operations of themobile communication device 103. A communication subsystem 311 isprovided that performs communications, including transmission andreception of data via the wireless network 319. The microprocessor 338may be communicatively coupled to an auxiliary input/output (I/O)subsystem 328 of the mobile communication device 103. In at least oneexample, the microprocessor 338 may be communicatively coupled to aserial port 330, such as a Universal Serial Bus port, which enablescommunications with other devices or systems. The user interface ordisplay 222 may be communicatively coupled to the microprocessor 338 fordisplaying information on the mobile communication device 103. When themobile communication device 103 is equipped with a keyboard 232, thekeyboard 232 also may be communicatively coupled with the microprocessor338. The mobile communication device 103 may include a speaker 334, amicrophone 336, a random access memory (RAM) 326, and a flash memory324, among other components. These components may be communicativelycoupled to the microprocessor 338. Other components may be provided onthe mobile communication device 103 and these other components may beoptionally communicatively coupled to the microprocessor 338. Othercommunication subsystems 340 and other communication device subsystems342 are generally indicated as being functionally connected with themicroprocessor 338 as well.

An example of a communication subsystem 340 includes a short rangecommunication system, such as a BLUETOOTH® communication module or aWI-FI® communication module, such as a communication module incompliance with IEEE 802.11b, and associated circuits and components.Additionally, the microprocessor 338 may be configured to performoperating system functions and enable the execution of programs on themobile communication device 103. In some examples, less than all of theabove components may be included in the mobile communication device 103.For example, the keyboard 232 may not be provided as a separatecomponent and but is instead integrated with a touch screen as describedbelow.

The auxiliary I/O subsystem 328 may take the form of a variety ofdifferent navigation tools, including multi-directional orsingle-directional navigation tools. The navigation tools may include anoptical navigation tool, a trackball navigation tool, a thumbwheel, anavigation pad, a joystick or a touch-sensitive interface, among otherI/O interfaces. According to one example, the navigation tool mayinclude the optical navigation tool illustrated in FIG. 2. Thesenavigation tools may be located on the front surface of the mobilecommunication device 103 or may be located on any exterior surface ofthe mobile communication device 103.

Other auxiliary I/O subsystems may include external display devices andexternally connected keyboards (not shown). While the above exampleshave been provided in relation to the auxiliary I/O subsystem 328, othersubsystems capable of providing input or receiving output from themobile communication device 103 are considered within the scope of thisdisclosure. Additionally, other keys may be placed along the side of themobile communication device 103 to function as escape keys, volumecontrol keys, scrolling keys, power switches, or user programmable keys,and may likewise be programmed accordingly.

The keyboard 232 may include a plurality of keys that are physical innature, such as actuable buttons. Alternatively, the keyboard 232 may beimplemented as a virtual keyboard. To this end, software instructionsmay be provided to represent physical keys (referred to herein as“virtual keys”) on the display 222. It is also contemplated that userinput may be provided as a combination of these two types of keys. Eachkey of the plurality of keys may be associated with at least one action,which may be the input of a character, a command or a function, amongother actions. In this context, “characters” are contemplated toinclude, for example, alphabetic letters, language symbols, numbers,punctuation, insignias, icons, pictures, or blank space, among othercharacters.

In the case of virtual keys, the indicia for the respective keys may beshown on the user interface or display screen 222. According to oneexample, the virtual keys may be enabled by touching the display screen222. A stylus, finger, or other pointer may be used to generate thecharacter or activate the indicated command or function. Some examplesof display screens 222 that are capable of detecting touch includeresistive, capacitive, projected capacitive, infrared and surfaceacoustic wave (SAW) touch screens.

Physical and virtual keys may be combined in many different ways, asappreciated by those skilled in the art. In one example, the physicaland virtual keys may be combined, such that the plurality of enabledkeys for a particular program or feature of the mobile communicationdevice 103 are shown on the display 222 in the same configuration as thephysical keys. Using this configuration, the operator may select theappropriate physical key corresponding to what is shown on the display222. Thus, the desired character, command or function is obtained bydepressing the physical key corresponding to the character, command orfunction displayed at a corresponding position on the display 222,rather than touching the display 222.

Furthermore, the mobile communication device 103 may be equipped withcomponents that enable operation of various programs. A flash memory 324may be provided to store an operating system 357, device programs 358,and data. The device programs 358 may include a publication application359, which is described further below. The operating system 357 isgenerally configured to manage the programs 358. The programs 358 may bestored in the flash memory 324 and may be executed on the microprocessor338. The operating system 357 honors requests for services made by theprograms 358 through predefined program interfaces, among other requesttypes. More specifically, the operating system 357 typically determinesthe order in which the multiple programs 358 are executed on themicroprocessor 338. The operating system 357 also determines anexecution time allotted to each program 358, manages sharing of theflash memory 324 among the multiple programs, and handles input andoutput to and from other device subsystems 342, among performing otheroperations.

Additionally, operators may interact directly with the operating system357 through the GUI. Interactions may be facilitated by input devices,including the keyboard 232 and the display screen 222. While an exampleof the operating system 357 may be stored in the flash memory 324, theoperating system 357 in other examples may be stored in a read-onlymemory (ROM) or similar storage element (not shown). As those skilled inthe art will appreciate, the operating system 357, device program 358(or parts thereof) may be loaded in a RAM 326 or other volatile memory.The flash memory 324 may be configured to support communication betweenthe publishing application 359 and a plurality of programs, including anaddress book 352, a personal information manager (PIM) 354, and a devicestate 350, among other programs. Additionally, the flash memory 324 maybe configured to segregate communication between the programs 358 andother information 356.

When the mobile communication device 103 is enabled for two-waycommunication within the wireless communication network 319, signals maybe sent and received from a mobile communication service. Examples ofcommunication systems enabled for two-way communication include, but arenot limited to, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) networks; UniversalMobile Telecommunication Service (UMTS) networks; Enhanced Data forGlobal Evolution (EDGE) networks; Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA)networks; High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) networks; Universal MobileTelecommunication Service Time Division Duplexing (UMTS-TDD) networks;Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB) networks; Worldwide Interoperability forMicrowave Access (WiMAX) networks, or other networks that can be usedfor combined data and voice capabilities or separate data and voicecapabilities.

For the communication systems listed above, the mobile communicationdevice 103 may use a unique identifier to enable the mobilecommunication device 103 to transmit and receive signals from thecommunication network 319. Other systems may not use such identifyinginformation. For example, GPRS, UMTS, and EDGE use a Subscriber IdentityModule (SIM) in order to allow communication with the communicationnetwork 319. Likewise, most CDMA systems use a Removable User IdentityModule (RUIM) in order to communicate with the CDMA network. The RUIMand SIM card can be used in multiple different mobile communicationdevices 103. The mobile communication device 103 may be able to operatesome features without a RUIM or SIM card, but may not be able tocommunicate with the network 319. A SIM/RUIM interface 344 may belocated within the mobile communication device 103 to allow for removalor insertion of the RUIM and SIM card (not shown). The RUIM and SIM cardmay include a memory that holds key configurations 351 and otherinformation 353, such as identification and subscriber-relatedinformation. With a properly enabled mobile communication device 103,two-way communication may be performed between the mobile communicationdevice 103 and the communication network 319.

If the mobile communication device 103 is enabled as described above, orthe communication network 319 includes such enablement, the two-waycommunication enabled mobile communication device 103 may be configuredto both transmit and receive multi-media content and other data from thecommunication network 319. The communication transfer may be performedto or from the mobile communication device 103. In order to communicatewith the communication network 319, the mobile communication device 103may be equipped with an integral or internal antenna 318 that transmitssignals to the communication network 319. Likewise, the mobilecommunication device 103 may be equipped with an additional antenna 316for receiving communication from the communication network 319.According to one example, these antennae 316, 318 may be combined into asingle antenna (not shown). As one skilled in the art would appreciate,the antenna or antennae 316, 318 may be externally mounted on the mobilecommunication device 103 in another example.

When equipped for two-way communication, the mobile communication device103 may include the communication subsystem 311 that supports theoperational needs of the mobile communication device 103. Thecommunication subsystem 311 may include a transmitter 314 and a receiver312 including an associated antenna or antennae 316, 318 as describedabove, local oscillators (LOs) 313, and a processing module that in thepresently described example is a digital signal processor (DSP) 320.

It is contemplated that communication between the mobile communicationdevice 103 and the wireless network 319 may be any type of communicationthat both the wireless network 319 and mobile communication device 103are enabled to support. In general, these communications may beclassified as voice and data communications. Voice communicationgenerally refers to communication in which signals for audible soundsare transmitted through the communication network 319 by the mobilecommunication device 103. Data communication generally refers to allother types of communication that the mobile communication device 103 iscapable of performing within the constraints of the wireless network319.

FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 are examples only and those persons skilled in the artwill appreciate that additional elements and modifications may benecessary to make the mobile communication device 103 operate inparticular network environments. The illustrated examples disclose themobile communication devices 103 as smart phones. Alternative examplescontemplate that the communication devices 103 may include personaldigital assistants (PDA), tablet computers, laptop computers, desktopcomputers, servers, or other communication devices capable of sendingand receiving electronic messages. According to one example, the mobilecommunication devices 103 and the corresponding mobile communicationdevice 300 structure may be characterized by an identification numberthat is assigned to the mobile communication device 103. According toone example, the identification numbers cannot be changed and are lockedto each device.

The mobile communication devices 103 may include, or be modified toinclude, the publishing applications 359 to enable client-sidemonitoring of actions performed on the mobile communication devices 103.Alternatively, the publishing application 359 may reside on one or moreservers 132, 134, 136 to enable server-side monitoring of actionsperformed on the mobile communication devices 103. The publishingapplication 359 may operate in a background mode to observe actionsperformed on the corresponding mobile communication devices 103. Forexample, the publishing application may run in the background to monitorand annotate actions performed using multi-media applications thatoperate in foreground. According to one example, the publishingapplication 359 may operate with user awareness and may be accessible tousers on demand. Alternatively, the publishing application 359 mayoperate undetectable by users of the mobile communication devices 103.

The publishing application 359 may record additional data that isassociated with the performed actions. The additional data may includeuser identifiers associated with the mobile communication device 103,GPS coordinates corresponding to the action location, an action time ofoccurrence, an action date of occurrence, an action day of occurrence, atotal time duration of the action occurrence, a multi-media applicationtype used to capture the action occurrence, a multi-media applicationversion used to capture the action occurrence and weather conditionsreported for the captured GPS coordinates, among additional data.

The publishing application 359 operates to capture and share multi-mediainformation using the mobile communication devices 103. According to oneexample, the publishing application 359 may monitor and annotate actionsperformed using the mobile communication devices 103. For example,actions may be annotated by generating textual descriptions, visualrepresentations or providing other annotation types that are supportedby communication services subscribed to on the mobile communicationdevices 103. The selected annotations describing the actions performedon the mobile communication devices 103 may correspond with contenttypes supported by selected communication services, including FLICKR®for digital image services, YOUTUBE™ for video image services,WORDPRESS™ for blogging services, TWITTER™ for micro-blogging services,and FACEBOOK™ for social networking services, among other communicationservices. The publishing application 359 may be configured to inventorycommunication services that are supported by the mobile communicationdevice 103 and to store access information for the associatedcommunication services. Furthermore, if the mobile communication device103 is determined not to support or recognize the captured content, thepublishing application 359 may direct users to online resources thatenable the mobile communication device 103 to process the capturedcontent. For example, the publishing application 359 may direct users toapplication resources, such as an application store, which allow usersto download applications supporting the captured content.

According to one example, the publishing application 359 may capture andshare multi-media information according to an action-based schedule. Tothis end, the user-performed actions and the device-performed actionsmay be annotated in real-time, concurrently with actions being performedon the mobile communication devices 103. Alternatively, the publishingapplication 359 may capture and share multi-media information on atime-based schedule. To this end, the user-performed actions and thedevice-performed actions may be annotated according to pre-determinedfrequencies, including, hourly, daily or weekly frequencies, among otherfrequencies. The time-based schedule may operate to restrict sharing ofconfidential information. For example, the publishing application 359may be disabled during working hours to prevent capturing work-relatedinformation captured by the mobile communication device 103.Accordingly, the time-based schedule enables the publishing application359 to be operated on a schedule. For example, the publishingapplication 359 may be activated after working hours during the workweek, on weekend days, and during holidays to capture and share personalinformation Likewise, the publishing application 359 may be deactivatedduring working hours (e.g., Monday through Friday 9 am-5 pm) to preventcapture of work-related information.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example graphical user interface 400 that displaysa graphical representation of actions performed using the mobilecommunication device 103. The graphical representation may include datastructures 402-410 that correspond to individual actions performed usingthe mobile communication device 103. The data structures 402-410 may beorganized in a list format, among other formats. A representative datastructure 401 shows that the data structures 402-410 may be organizedinto plural fields, including a time of generation field 401 a, a dateof generation field 401 b, a descriptive title field 401 c and a contentpreview field 401 d, among other fields. One or more communicationservice icons 401 e may be positioned in association with thecorresponding data structure to identify pre-selected communicationservices that support publishing content stored in the data structures.A drop down menu 401 f may also be provided adjacent to thecommunication service icon to enable manual selection of a communicationservice for publishing content stored in the data structures.Alternatively, if there is no communication service accessible to themobile communication device 103 that is determined to be compatible withthe captured content, then the publishing application 359 may directusers to an application store for downloading a compatible communicationservice. One of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate thatthe mobile communication device application user interface may beconfigured differently.

The data structures 402-410 may be associated with tags or meta-datathat describe the captured content. Tags or metadata generally refer tonon-hierarchical keywords or terms that are associated with the capturedcontent, such as digital images, web pages or computer files, amongother captured content. The tags or metadata are associated with thecaptured content to enable the publishing application 359, a web browseror other search tool to locate the captured content using keywordsearching, among providing other benefits. The tags or metadata may beassigned to the captured content informally and personally by thedigital item's creator.

The data structures 402-410 may be arranged in chronological order bydate and time, among other orders. For example, the chronological listof actions may be arranged in reverse chronological order so thatactions performed more recent in time may be provided at an upperposition on the list, while actions performed less recent in time may beprovided at a lower position on the list. One of ordinary skill in theart will readily appreciate that the graphical representations may bepresented through other configurations.

The recorded actions may be organized into a list of data structures402-410 and each data structure may be associated with a share iconcategory 420. The share icon may be selected to upload content to adesired communication service. The share icon category 420 may bepositioned physically adjacent to a corresponding data structure and mayinclude a corresponding logo that visually identifies a communicationservice that is selected for sharing the content associated with aselected data structure. For example, the share icon associated withcorresponding data structures 402-410 may display a TWITTER™ logo or aFACEBOOK™ logo, among other logos. Users may depress a selected shareicon to publish content through the communication service associatedwith the corresponding data structure 402-410. Users may select a dropdown menu icon 401 f to display alternative communication services forpublishing the selected content. Users may select and depress a desiredshare icon from the menu of alternative communication services topublish content through the selected communication service.

Returning to the above example where the mobile communication deviceuser accesses a music player on the mobile communication device 103, theuser may select to listen to The X Album by Y artist. In response to theselection, the publishing application 359 may automatically compose atleast one textual message describing the user-performed actions and thedevice-performed actions. For example, the publishing application 359may compose textual messages concurrent in time with a user'smanipulation of the mobile communication device 103.

For example, the user may manipulate the mobile communication device 103to select music content that is played while the user is performinganother activity. While the mobile communication device 103 is beingmanipulated, the publishing application 359 may observe the performedactions and may generate a textual message stating: “It's 6am—exercising in Boca; sun rise is beautiful; selected brand-Z musicplayer on my BLACKBERRY®; listening to The X Album by Y artist.” Duringmessage generation, the publishing application 359 may extract time dataand location data from the clock, cell tower location data and the GPSsensor of the mobile communication device 103 to populate the time field402 a and the date field 402 b of the data structure 402. The dataextraction may be initiated in response to manipulation of the interfacedevices, including the navigation tool, the keyboard and the GUI. Theactivity data (e.g., exercising) may be extracted from a calendar entrythat corresponds to a time when the textual message was composed. Theactivity data description may appear in the title field 402 c of thedata structure 402. The user may insert the environmental data (e.g.,sun rising) between a time that the textual message is composed andsent. Alternatively, the environmental data may be extracted from alocal data source, such as a website, based on the extracted time data,the extracted date data or the extracted activity data, among other datatypes. The activity data may be stored in the memory 324 and may beassociated with the data structure 402. Users may navigate over a fieldto enable modification of the field. For example, the user may navigateover the title field 402 c to modify the automatically generated title.Users also may edit the activity data prior to sharing or publishing thecorresponding data structure 402 over the network. The user-performedaction data, including (1) selecting the brand-Z music player and (2)listening to the particular album and artist may be extracted by thepublishing application 359, which is programmed to monitor actionsperformed on the mobile communication device 103.

According to another example, the mobile communication device user mayaccess a camera application on the mobile communication device 103 tocapture digital images. In this case, the publishing application 359 mayautomatically embed data or associate data with the captured digitalimages. The embedded data may include GPS data, GIS data, time ofcapture data, weather data, content description data andapplication-type data, among other data. The publishing application 359also may compose at least one textual message describing theuser-performed actions and the device-performed actions. To this end,the publishing application 359 may compose textual messages concurrentlyin time with a user's manipulation of the mobile communication device103.

According to one example, users may manipulate the mobile communicationdevice 103 to capture digital images during a visit to an amusementpark. The publishing application 359 may receive the digital images fromthe camera application and may compose a textual message describing thedigital images and activity performed on the mobile communication device103. For example, the publishing application 359 may compose a messagestating: “I'm on SPACE MOUNTAIN® in WALT DISNEY WORLD®! The kids loveit—see all the smiles.” While the message is being generated, thepublishing application 359 may extract time data and location data fromthe clock and the GPS sensor of the mobile communication device 103 topopulate the time field 410 a and the date field 410 b of the datastructure 410. The data extraction may be performed in response to aninitial manipulation of the interface devices, including the navigationtool, the keyboard and the GUI. The activity data (e.g., SPACEMOUNTAIN®) may be extracted from GPS coordinates that corresponds to atime when the textual message was composed. The activity datadescription may appear in the title field 410 c of the data structure410. The user may insert the personal information (e.g., The kids loveit—see all the smiles.) between a time that the textual message iscomposed and sent. Alternatively, the personal data may be extractedfrom the memory 324, which may have pre-stored messages therein. Theactivity data may be stored in the memory 324 and may be associated withthe corresponding data structure 410 (not shown). Users may navigateover a field to enable modification of the field. For example, the usermay navigate over the title field 410 c to modify the automaticallygenerated title. The user also may edit the activity data prior tosharing the corresponding data structure 410. The user-performed actiondata, including (1) selecting the camera application and (2) capturingdigital images may be extracted by the publishing application 359, whichis programmed to monitor actions performed on the mobile communicationdevice 103.

The publishing application 359 may provide the preview field in additionto the title field. The preview field enables a non-textual visualrepresentation of the associated data entries 402-410. In other words,the preview field 410 d may display a digital image or photograph of thefamily posing at SPACE MOUNTAIN®. By viewing content presented in boththe title field 410 c and the preview field 410 d, the user may beprovided with an improved understanding of the captured content. Theuser also may edit content that is displayed in the title field 410 cand the preview field 410 d based on personal preferences. For example,the user may switch or remove the digital image that is displayed in thepreview field 410 d, among performing other actions.

If the user decides to share information associated with the one of thedata entries 402-410, the user may select the appropriate share icon 402e-410 e. The share icon 410 e may be presented on the GUI with an imageof the pre-selected communication service, such as the FACEBOOK™ logo.Alternatively, the user may manipulate the interface device to scrollamong other data entries that are not shown on the GUI. Upon selectingthe desired share icon 410 e, status indicators may be provided thatdisplay the process state for the corresponding data structure 402-410.For example, the status indicators may notify users that the selectedcontent is being uploaded, that the upload is complete, that no networkis available to upload and that an error occurred during uploading,among providing other status indicators.

After successfully completing the upload process, the data entries402-410 on the mobile communication device 103 may be assigned a uniqueidentifier that links the data entries 402-410 to corresponding onlinedata entries. The unique identifier may be specific to a communicationservice and facilitates locating shared content within the communicationservice. In this way, users may be able to locate any online dataentries through the respective online communication services. Thepublishing application 359 tracks the multi-media information andenables users to access and modify the online data entries, as desired,through the respective online communication services.

The drop down menu icon 410 f may be provided to enable users to changethe pre-selected communication service. For example, upon selecting thedrop down menu icon 410 f, the user may select a desired communicationservice from a plurality of communication services. In this way, theuser may change the pre-selected communication service for sharing thedigital images to FLICKR® from FACEBOOK™, for example. Thus, the usermay efficiently capture and share multi-media information with minimalmanipulation of the mobile communication device 103.

Additionally, the publishing application 359 may be configured to complywith guidelines or rules set by the various communication services. Forexample, the publishing application 359 may limit the length of thegenerated textual message to less than 140 characters to comply with theTWITTER™ micro-blogging service guidelines. To accomplish thislimitation, the publishing application 359 may split the textual messageinto multiple tweets that are each less than 140 characters.Alternatively, the publishing application 359 may alert the user to editthe message below the 140 character limit before sending the message.Still further, the publishing application 359 may alert users if thecaptured content does not comply with other preferred guidelines, suchas a low resolution for digital images, among other deficiencies.

The publishing application 359 enables users to automatically captureand efficiently share the captured content associated with theuser-performed actions and the device-performed actions occurring on themobile communication device 103. The captured content may be presentedon the GUI 222 and is editable prior to publishing the content via theonline communication service, such as a blogging service, amicro-blogging service, or a networking service, among othercommunication services. The publishing application 359 may manage theuser-performed actions and the device-performed actions based onaction-based or time-based schedules. The captured content may beconfigured for display on the mobile communication device user interface222. The number of data entries selected for display may correspond tothe resources available on the mobile communication device 103, amongother criteria.

FIG. 5 illustrates a process diagram for performing a method 500 ofgenerating and publishing multi-media information associated withactions performed on a mobile communication device according to oneexample. The publishing application 359 monitors actions performed onthe mobile communication device in step S502 and enables selection of atleast one of the actions. The publishing application 359 may storecontent associated with the selected actions to the memory 324 and, instep S504, the publishing application 359 extracts data associated withat least one of the at least one selected actions and the contentassociated with the at least one selected actions. In step 506, thepublishing application 359 displays multi-media information on agraphical user interface of the display 222. The multi-media informationmay include at least one of the at least one selected actions, thecontent associated with the at least one selected actions and theextracted data. In step S508, the publishing application 359 displays anicon on the graphical user interface of the mobile communication device,the icon identifying a communication service that supports themulti-media information. In step S510, the publishing application 359detects selection of the icon. The icon may be positioned proximate oradjacent to the corresponding data structure. In step S512, thepublishing application 359 enables the user to publish or upload themulti-media information to the communication service by selecting theicon.

The method 500 may further include displaying a menu icon that providesa plurality of alternate communication services that support themulti-media information stored in the data structure. The menu icon maybe positioned adjacent to the icon. Upon selecting one of the alternatecommunication services from the menu icon, the image on the icon may beupdated to correspond to the selected alternate communication service.Upon selecting the modified icon, the multi-media information may bepublished or uploaded to the selected alternate communication service.

According to one example, the publishing application 359 may be a clientapplication that resides on the mobile communication device 103 and isexecutable on the microprocessor 338. The publishing application 359 mayrequest information corresponding to the user-performed action and thedevice-performed actions. Accordingly, the client device 103 may processthe received data. Alternatively, the disclosure may include a clientapplication that communicates with a remote server application to enableprocessing the data at the remote server.

The disclosure may be implemented using hardware or software inassociation with hardware. In some embodiments, the software may includefirmware, resident software, microcode, a Field Programmable Gate Array(FPGA) or Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), etc. Inparticular, for real-time or near real-time use, an FPGA or ASICimplementation is desirable.

Furthermore, the disclosure may take the form of a computer programproduct that includes program modules accessible from computer-usable orcomputer-readable medium storing program code for use by or inconnection with one or more computers, processors, or instructionexecution system. The medium can be an electronic, magnetic, optical,electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system (or apparatus ordevice) or a propagation medium (though propagation mediums in and ofthemselves as signal carriers are not included in the definition ofphysical non-transitory computer-readable medium). Examples of aphysical non-transitory computer-readable medium include a semiconductoror solid state memory, magnetic tape, a removable computer diskette, arandom access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a rigid magneticdisk and an optical disk. Current examples of optical disks includecompact disk-read only memory (CD-ROM), compact disk-read/write (CD-R/W)and DVD. Both processors and program code for implementing each asaspect of the technology can be centralized or distributed (or acombination thereof) as known to those skilled in the art.

A data processing system suitable for storing a computer program productof the technology and for executing the program code of the computerprogram product will include at least one processor coupled directly orindirectly to memory elements through a system bus. The memory elementscan include local memory employed during actual execution of the programcode, bulk storage, and cache memories that provide temporary storage ofat least some program code in order to reduce the number of times codemust be retrieved from bulk storage during execution. Input/output orI/O devices (including but not limited to keyboards, displays, pointingdevices, etc.) can be coupled to the system either directly or throughintervening I/O controllers. Network adapters can also be coupled to thesystem to enable the data processing system to become coupled to otherdata processing systems or remote printers or storage devices throughintervening private or public networks. Modems, cable modem and Ethernetcards are just a few of the currently available types of networkadapters. Such systems can be centralized or distributed, e.g., inpeer-to-peer and client/server configurations. In some embodiments, thedata processing system is implemented using one or both of FPGAs andASICs.

What is claimed is:
 1. A non-transitory computer-implemented method ofgenerating and publishing multi-media information, the methodcomprising: detecting actions performed on the communication device;identifying an application associated with at least one of the detectedactions; obtaining data from the identified application and anotherapplication; rendering multi-media information on a graphical userinterface of the communication device, the multi-media information beingbased on the data obtained from the identified application and theanother application, the multi-media information including a textualdescription of an event associated with the one or more detected actionsand content obtained from the identified application; displaying an iconon the graphical user interface of the communication device, the iconidentifying a communication service; and uploading the multi-mediainformation to the communication service upon detecting selection of theicon.
 2. The non-transitory computer-implemented method of claim 1,wherein detecting the actions includes detecting user-performed actionsand device-performed actions.
 3. The non-transitory computer-implementedmethod of claim 2, wherein the user-performed actions include actionsperformed directly or indirectly by a user manipulating thecommunication device.
 4. The non-transitory computer-implemented methodof claim 2, wherein the device-performed actions include actionsperformed directly or indirectly by a processor that controls thecommunication device.
 5. The non-transitory computer-implemented methodof claim 1, wherein the multi-media information is stored in a datastructure comprising a plurality of fields including at least two of atime of generation field, a date of generation field, a descriptivetitle field, and a content preview field.
 6. The non-transitorycomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the dataincludes obtaining at least one of global positioning satellite data,geographic information system data, time of capture data, weather data,content description data, and application-type data.
 7. Thenon-transitory computer-implemented method of claim 1, furthercomprising: displaying a plurality of icons on a menu icon, each iconidentifying an alternate communication service that supports themulti-media information; and uploading the multi-media information tothe alternate communication service upon detecting selection of one ofthe plurality of icons from the menu icon.
 8. A non-transitory computerreadable medium for generating and publishing multi-media information,the computer readable medium comprising instructions which, uponexecution by a processor of the communication device, cause thecommunication device to: detect actions performed on the communicationdevice; identify an application associated with at least one of thedetected actions; obtain data from the identified application andanother application; render multi-media information on a graphical userinterface of the communication device, the multi-media information beingbased on the data obtained from the identified application and theanother application, the multi-media information including a textualdescription of an event associated with the one or more detected actionsand content obtained from the identified application; display an icon onthe graphical user interface of the communication device, the iconidentifying a communication service; and upload the multi-mediainformation to the communication service upon detecting selection of theicon.
 9. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, furthercomprising instructions which, upon execution by the processor cause thecommunication device to detect the actions including detectinguser-performed actions and device-performed actions.
 10. Thenon-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein theuser-performed actions include actions performed directly or indirectlyby a user manipulating the communication device.
 11. The non-transitorycomputer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the device-performedactions include actions performed directly or indirectly by theprocessor that controls the communication device.
 12. The non-transitorycomputer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the multi-media informationis stored in a data structure comprising a plurality of fields includingat least two of a time of generation field, a date of generation field,a descriptive title field and a content preview field.
 13. Thenon-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein thecommunication device obtains the data, including at least one of globalpositioning satellite data, geographic information system data, time ofcapture data, weather data, content description data, andapplication-type data.
 14. The non-transitory computer readable mediumof claim 8, further comprising instructions which, upon execution by theprocessor, cause the communication device to: display a plurality oficons on a menu icon, each icon identifying an alternate communicationservice that support the multi-media information; and upload themulti-media information to the alternate communication service upondetecting selection of one of the plurality of icons from the menu icon.15. A communication device for generating and publishing multi-mediainformation, the communication device comprising: a display; anon-transitory memory having a plurality of applications stored thereon;and a processor in communication with the display and the memory, theprocessor being programmed to: detect actions performed on thecommunication device; identify an application associated with at leastone of the detected actions; obtain data from the identified applicationand another application; render multi-media information on the display,the multi-media information being based on the data obtained from theidentified application and the another application, the multi-mediainformation including a textual description of an event associated withthe one or more detected actions and content obtained from theidentified application; display an icon on the display, the iconidentifying a communication service; and upload the multi-mediainformation to the communication service upon detecting selection of theicon.
 16. The communication device of claim 15, wherein the processor isfurther programmed to detect the actions including detectinguser-performed actions and device-performed actions.
 17. Thecommunication device of claim 16, wherein the user-performed actionsinclude actions performed directly or indirectly by a user manipulatingthe communication device and wherein the device-performed actionsinclude actions performed directly or indirectly by the processor thatcontrols the communication device.
 18. The communication device of claim15, wherein the memory stores the multi-media information in a datastructure comprising a plurality of fields including at least two of atime of generation field, a date of generation field, a descriptivetitle field, and a content preview field.
 19. The communication deviceof claim 15, wherein the processor is programmed to obtain the data fromthe applications, including global positioning satellite data,geographic information system data, time of capture data, weather data,content description data, and application-type data.
 20. Thecommunication device of claim 15, wherein the processor is furtherprogrammed to: display a plurality of icons on a menu icon, each iconidentifying an alternate communication service that supports themulti-media information; and upload the multi-media information to thealternate communication service upon detecting selection of one of theplurality of icons from the menu icon.